Wickham Commons Newsletter – August
18th August 2018Bio Blitz Success!
16th September 2018
Lightening strikes oak
One of Spring Park’s tallest oak trees has been struck by lightening during a recent summer storm. The huge bolt of electricity travelled the entire length of the tree. Slabs of bark and shards of timber were thrown several meters from the tree and can be seen scattered amongst the surrounding undergrowth. A continuous scar marks the route that roughly 1 billion Joules of electrical energy took down the tree in its quest to reach the ground. In places this scar is nearly half a metre wide!
The ranger team will be closely monitoring the tree over the coming months as the full effects of this thankfully rare event become clearer.
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Talk to U3A
In August the ranger attended the U3A (University of the third Age) summer activity session to give a talk about: Nature conservation across the Coulsdon and West Wickham Commons. The talk was well attended, and the members asked a lot of questions regarding tree health. In the picture you can see the ranger holding a horse chestnut leaf infected withleaf minor moth.
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BioBlitz at Spring Park
A Bioblitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area over a set time period. With the help of 20 wildlife explorers we recorded more than 100 different species within 2 hours at Spring Park. We explored the pond, had a go at bug hunting and had a closer look at the different plant species across the meadow. The highlights were a brown argus butterfly flying along the meadow edge and the puffballs hidden in the long grass. We had a splendid afternoon and during the event the Red Arrows appeared over Spring Park and impressed us with their terrific flight manoeuvres.
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Visitor survey
We are carrying out a visitor feedback survey to help us understand what our visitors think about their visit(s) to the Commons. There is a simple online form that you can fill in. It shouldn`t take more than a couple of minutes to complete and we will use the information you give to make improvements wherever possible, for the benefit of visitors and wildlife.
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Bat walk at West Wickham Common
Friday 7 September 2018, 8pm-9.30pm
Join the rangers for a guided night time walk around West Wickham Common in search of bats! Please wear suitable outdoor clothes and don’t forget a torch!
Suggested minimum donation £3 per person
Please note, in case of a bad weather forecast we will re-schedule the event and will contact you prior to the event.
Please book your ticket via Eventbrite.
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Volunteering
WWaSP volunteers
Friday 28 Septmber 2018, 10am-3pm
Meet at West Wickham Common car park
Bringing in the hay. Our annual mission to strip nutrients from the acid grassland by raking up the hay crop.
For further information:
Tel: 01372 279083
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